DIY Garden Marker Plant Labels for your Flower Pots NO KILN REQUIRED

DIY Garden Marker Plant Labels for Your Flower Pots is sponsored by Crafts Unleashed, Consumer Crafts and Amazon.com.

SPRING HAS ARRIVED!  It snuck in slowly, but here in Zone 6, we are now fully in the switch-change show of Spring.  From the lilacs, daffies and apple trees in yesterday's post to the redbuds and tulips and almond (oh my!), the world is alight with color and scent and the glories of new life.

If you are a bit North of us however, you are probably still itching to get outdoors and start digging in the earth, eager to see the first flutterly wings of the northern bound birds and hungry for blooms and breezes and the beginning of Spring.  For those of you hungry for Spring, and those of you in its romantic grip at the moment, I have a project for you.  These little clay plant markers are easy to make, cute as a button and hold up indoors or out.

Materials:

• Clay (I used brown, but pick whatever works with your pots/decor)
• Clay Press (optional, but makes the process MUCH faster!)
• Circle Cookie Cutter
• Serrated Knife (I purchase mine from IKEA, but you probably have one in your kitchen!)
• Metal Stamping Letters (an essential for these cute tags!)
• Oven/Baking Sheet or Glass Pan

Note: You might be tempted to skip the clay press, but let me warn you that this clay is HARD and takes quite a bit of rolling and kneading to get it soft enough to work with.  The clay press saves TONS of time and makes a really nice, even surface and tags that are of even height all the way around the circle.  Bonus:  It also works on homemade pasta!   Bonus 2:  It is half off last I checked - go get it!

On to the instructions!  Cut off a piece of clay with a knife.  I cut off about 1" sections using a serrated knife.  Push a section down into the clay press, rolling the handle as you push down.

The clay will flatten out like this:

See those air bubbles/holes?  Fold the flattened clay back onto itself and send it through the press a second time.  After two rolls through the press, your clay is pliable and you have a smooth, even surface.  WELL worth the money to me!

Here is the entire process:

Take your circular cookie cutter (or any shape you choose!) and press straight down onto a smooth solid section of the clay.

Gently, pull the clay up from around the piece you cut out.  DON'T do this the other way around (by picking the circle out of the clay).  You will get smudges and fingerprints and smooshed sections all around the circle trying to remove it.

Handle your circles gently at this point.  They are very soft and moldable.  Using a metal stamping kit, I added plant names to my tags.  You can also carve words by hand into the tags or use a picture stamp - anything you choose!

 I added detailing with a slightly serrated knife, individualizing each tag.  Be creative!

Once you are happy with each tag, it is time to bake them!  Set the oven to 275 degrees, place your tags (carefully!) on a nonstick baking pan or glass dish and bake for 30 minutes.  (True story: I forgot about one batch of tags and they went longer then 30 min. (oops!), but were ok.  Apparently the right temperature matters more than the right time!)  Clay will darken into its true color as it bakes and cools.  You can see the variation in the fresh clay and fully dry product below.

You might notice that my fresh clay is flat while the finished tag is slightly curved.  This was intentional so that the tags would attach to my pots seamlessly.  They will not typically curve when baked.  If you want them to curve, simply squeeze the ends gently to create a slight curve every 5-10 minutes as the tags are cooling.  They will settle into the curved shape without a lot of hassle.  Once stamped, baked, dried and curved, your tags are ready to work!  I attached mine with hot glue directly onto my pots (from IKEA), but you could certainly attach them to sticks and place into your outdoor garden.

For those of you that asked, the little pots are from IKEA and the metal stamping kit is off Amazon (links below).  The remainder of the supplies are from Consumer Crafts/ Crafts Unleashed.
If you purchase any item by clicking through the Amazon links below (any item, not just the pictured craft items), I will earn a small percentage.  THANK YOU!

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